The Best Inventions of 2023

WORK LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: “Holy smokes. We’ve reached a new low. First people wanted to stop interacting in person. Now they don’t want to be seen on screen.”

CASINOS ALREADY KNOW THIS: Research shows human behavior guided by fast changes in dopamine levels.

Also app companies.

23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users

TechCrunch: “On Friday [December 1, 2023], genetic testing company 23andMe announced that hackers accessed the personal data of 0.1% of customers, or about 14,000 individuals. The company also said that by accessing those accounts, hackers were also able to access “a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry.” 

But 23andMe would not say how many “other users” were impacted by the breach that the company initially disclosed in early October. As it turns out, there were a lot of “other users” who were victims of this data breach: 6.9 million affected individuals in total. In an email sent to TechCrunch late on Saturday, 23andMe spokesperson Katie Watson confirmed that hackers accessed the personal information of about 5.5 million people who opted-in to 23andMe’s DNA Relatives feature, which allows customers to automatically share some of their data with others. The stolen data included the person’s name, birth year, relationship labels, the percentage of DNA shared with relatives, ancestry reports and self-reported location. 

23andMe also confirmed that another group of about 1.4 million people who opted-in to DNA Relatives also “had their Family Tree profile information accessed,” which includes display names, relationship labels, birth year, self-reported location and whether the user decided to share their information, the spokesperson said. (23andMe declared part of its email as “on background,” which requires that both parties agree to the terms in advance. TechCrunch is printing the reply as we were given no opportunity to reject the terms.)”

Free trade and debt : the two sides of neocolonialism CADTM

More US holiday shoppers turn to ‘buy now, pay later’ loans Financial Times. Another sign of lack of real wage growth. 

UAW Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza – Washington Post to Strike – 2,000 Nurses Strike in Kansas and Texas Mike Elk

The Best Inventions of 2023

Every year for over two decades Times editors have highlighted the most impactful new products and ideas in TIME’s Best Inventions issue. To compile this year’s list, we solicited nominations from TIME’s editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields—such as AI, green energy, and sustainability. We then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact. The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions)—including the world’s most powerful supercomputer, a game-changing entertainment venue, and a new shape—that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.”

list, we solicited nominations from TIME’s editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields—such as AI, green energy, and sustainability. We then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact. 

The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions)—including the world’s most powerful supercomputer, a game-changing entertainment venue, and a new shape—that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.”